Pennsylvania Governor Signs Bill that Abolishes Straight-Ticket Device

Posted on by November 1, 2019
2

On October 31, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed SB 421, which eliminates the straight-ticket device and makes voting procedures easier. There are now only seven states with a straight-ticket device: Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah.

SB 421 also establishes early voting in Pennsylvania, via postal mail. There are now only eight states that don’t permit voters to vote before election day (unless they can’t get to the polls on election day): Alabama, Connecticut, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.

SB 421 also allows mailed absentee ballots to arrive as late as election day. Formerly they had to arrive on the Friday before election day.

SB 421 eases the deadline for individuals to register to vote, from 30 days before an election, to 15 days.

Ohio Libertarian Party Asks for Injunction Against Law on Exclusion of Minor Party Members from Ohio Election Commission

Posted on by November 1, 2019
1

On November 1, the Ohio Libertarian Party filed this brief, asking for an injunction against the Ohio law that excludes any members from the Ohio Election Commission who are members of a party, other than the Republican and Democratic Parties. Libertarian Party of Ohio v Taveras, s.d., 2:19cv-2501.

Daily Pennsylvanian Newspaper Endorses Two Working Families Party Nominees for Philadelphia City Council

Posted on by October 31, 2019
Reply

The Daily Pennsylvanian has endorsed two Working Families Party nominees for Philadelphia city council-at-large. The candidates are Kendra Brooks and Nicholas O’Rourke. Brooks and O’Rourke are not the nominees of any other party.

The Daily Pennsylvanian, which dates from the 19th century, is a student-run non-profit daily newspaper, not associated with the school.

California Report of Registration to be Released November 19

Posted on by October 31, 2019
1

The California Secretary of State expects to release the October 2, 2019 Report of Registration on November 19. This will be the first statewide registration data for California since February 2019. It will apparently show that the Common Sense Party has about 15,000 registrations. The Report will also show the number that would have been needed for any new party to qualify, approximately 65,000.

The Common Sense Party is free to continue its registration drive. Although it has missed the deadline to be a qualified party for the March 2020 primary, it can still participate in the presidential election if it has enough registrants by July 2020.

If any registered members of the Common Sense Party run for Congress or state legislature in the March 2020 primary, and place first or second, it will be interesting to see if that candidate is permitted to have his or her party label on the November ballot (assuming the party has qualified by the July 2020 deadline).